Legion of Shadow (5 page)

‘Hurry! Hurry!’ squawks the bird, alighting on one of the stones. ‘I’m sure we don’t have much time. You need to find out what happened!’

4

Quest: Rat extermination

You take the dusty track that leads out of Tithebury Cross and follow it up into the hills. Before too long you are passing endless fields of corn – the sun-bleached crop
drooping listlessly over the cracked, dried earth. Further along the track you spot a man, sheltering beneath a tree from the heat of the midday sun. Noticing you, he beckons you over. As you
approach, you see that the man is little more than a vagrant, his skin black with dirt and his clothes ragged and torn. Clearly he hasn’t bathed for several days – possibly weeks
– and the smell is almost overwhelming. You try and hide your revulsion as the man cracks open a smile.

‘Good day, me good sir. A stranger in these parts I wager. Don’t suppose I can be interesting you in a little work?’ He scratches his cheek with a dirt-blackened finger.
‘It’s bloomin’ rats,’ he says. ‘The blasted vermin have taken over me barn. They’re everywhere!’ He looks you over, his quick eyes darting back and forth
between your weapons and your bulging backpack. ‘Could do with someone like you to exterminate those critters. What do you say?’

5

The girl claps her hands in delight. ‘Oh he is so wonderful,’ she gasps breathlessly. ‘Not like the simple village boys. No, he’s a travelling man, one
of the gypsies. I don’t think there’s anywhere he hasn’t been – the mountains to the east, the deserts of the south . . . Gosh, he has such stories to tell, of adventure and
lost treasures, and battles. It’s so exciting!’

You nod your head, trying to look interested, but other more important things are starting to occupy your thoughts . . . like the rapidly fading sunlight. You decide it is time that the girl was
taken home to her father. Turn to
129
.

6

The track you are following widens, becoming a dusty road that leads into the village of Tithebury Cross. It is a small settlement – its timber-framed buildings and
cottages crowding in around a central, main square where four roads come together.

The lanes and paths are mostly deserted. You imagine that most sensible people are staying indoors, taking refuge from the sun’s merciless heat. A couple of farmers pass you by, grumbling
about the weather. Neither of them offers you a word of greeting.

Reaching the main square, you consider your options. Ahead of you is the local tavern, its painted sign showing a plump black bird pecking at a pie. To your left are the remnants of a small
market, set up under a series of grey awnings. With few customers to view their wares, the traders look bored and listless. To your right, a narrow path leads past a row of houses and then rises
steeply, climbing the side of a sun-scorched hill. At its summit you can see a stone well, with several villagers gathered around it, deep in conversation.

Leave the village – return to the
map.

7

You put the flame of your torch to the spider’s web. The sparkling strands catch fire instantly, sizzling as the flames spread quickly across the interlaced pattern. With
a chilling shriek of anger, the giant spider turns to face you, its immense black body seemingly untouched by the flames that rage around it. Turn to
60
.

8

‘Reward?’ snaps one of the villagers, waving his pitchfork at you. ‘A boy is in danger and you ask for a reward?’ You hear several other angry mutterings
from the crowd.

‘Easy now,’ says the elderly man, putting himself between you and the agitated villagers. ‘I didn’t see anyone else here wilfully volunteering to go down the well.’
He looks at each of the men in turn – who all look away, embarrassed and shamed. ‘I have some coin I can give you,’ he says, turning back to you. He opens his purse and produces
10 gold crowns, which he places in the palm of your hand. ‘Half now and half when the task is done.’

Pocketing the coins, you agree to get started. Turn to
238
.

9

As you prepare to leave, you see Martha running down the road towards you. She is waving her arms frantically.

‘Stop her!’ she cries. ‘Stop her eating it! I’ve changed my mind!’ She flings open the garden gate, tears streaming down her face. ‘Please,’ she begs.
‘I feel awful. We can’t let her eat that turnip – who knows what will happen? Please, we have to do something!’

You draw your weapons and agree to check out the cottage. Turn to
255
.

10

Quest: Scarlet in the woods

In Tithebury, idle gossip travels fast. It isn’t long before reports of a missing child reach your ears. Sensing an opportunity for some paid work, you head to the edge of
the Tithebury woods, where a small wood cabin rests on a grassy knoll. A grizzled old man sits outside the building, sharpening the blade of his long sword with a notched stone. He looks up as you
approach and offers a mumbled greeting. You notice that the man’s right leg is heavily bandaged. A pair of crutches rest beside his stool.

You explain that you have heard news of a missing child. The man shakes his head, and looks away for a moment, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

‘Yeah, my daughter,’ he says at last, shaking his head. ‘A spirited thing. Not seen hide nor hair of her for three days. Gave her some of my best brandy to take to her poorly
grandma – lives right across the other side of the valley.’ The man lowers his gaze to his injured leg. ‘I fear the worst, stranger. Goblins have moved into those woods. I tried
my best to find her . . . I did.’ He reaches out, gripping your arm tightly. ‘Please, I have no gold or treasures to offer – but I still have a father’s love for his
daughter. Please, will you find her and bring her home safe?’

11

The taproom of the ‘Pie and Black Bird’ is dark and muggy, the only light coming from a narrow window opposite the bar. The tables and benches are mostly empty
– just a few customers sit sullenly over their mugs of ale, making little effort at conversation. At the bar, a group of elderly farmers are seated on stools, talking in hushed tones as they
puff on their pipes. The barman listens in on their talk, fanning himself with a grime-stained dishcloth.

As you approach the bar, you notice a man sitting alone at the far side of the room. He appears to be watching you from beneath the brim of his hat, his long, pale fingers shuffling and
reshuffling a deck of cards.

12

The man puts a hand to his back, emitting a loud and rather unconvincing groan.

‘Pains, see. I got pains. Put my back out last season – no ways as I can keep up with those rats now. Fast little critters they are.’ He shrugs his scrawny shoulders. ‘I
tried traps see, but they avoid them. It’s like they’re smart or something. Never seen their likes before. Bigger than your average rats too.’ The man glances down at the weapon
hanging by your side. ‘I say, that pretty thing looks just about right for skewering those vermin. Make a nice tasty rat kebab with that, don’t yer think?’

13

You follow Martha into the shack – a cramped, stuffy room filled with dirt and cobwebs. A single pallet bed rests along one wall, lined with five grubby-faced children.
One of them is rocking a wooden crib with her foot. Inside, two new-born babies fidget and squirm beneath a moth-eaten blanket.

Martha opens her larder, which you notice is almost bare – save for some dust and a scuttling beetle – and takes out a small sack of flour and a couple of eggs. She explains that
this is all the food she has now, having killed the last of her chickens to feed her starving family.

‘Henry, light the fire if you can, please,’ says Martha, as she clears the table of broken dolls and gnawed chicken bones. One of the children, clearly the eldest, takes a tinder box
from next to the mattress and proceeds to light the few sticks of dry wood in the stone heath.

‘I have nothing,’ explains Martha, breaking the eggs and adding them to the flour. ‘But I ask for no charity. Certainly not from those stuck-up Tithebury villagers. They go too
far with their petty games and superstitions.’ She glances at the basket of turnip and grins. ‘But this time . . . this time I’m gonna make them eat their words!’

14

‘Those vile things,’ says the girl, wrinkling her nose. ‘I fell foul of one of their silly traps while I was picking mushrooms. I could have been a goner I
suppose, but in my heart of hearts I always knew that my handsome huntsman would find me eventually.’

She pauses, looking you up and down like a dirty piece of laundry. ‘Shame you came along and spoiled everything. You don’t even look like a hero. Not like the ones in the storybooks
– not like my gorgeous huntsman.’

15

Quest: Curse of the cornfields

As you descend into the patchwork valley of farmsteads, you notice a flock of crows circling over the nearby fields. Below them, a fine white mist hangs like a shroud over the
wilting, sun-beaten corn – its appearance looking slightly unnatural in the dazzling sunlight. An elderly man hurries towards you, a pitchfork held tightly in his hands. His expression looks
panicked.

‘Please! Will you help me?’ he cries. ‘My farm is cursed! It’s the witch – the witch I tell you!’

16

As you walk over, the man doffs his hat to you in greeting. You settle onto the bench opposite. ‘Greetings, my friend,’ he says. ‘You care to make a little
wager?’

17

The man offers you a grim smile. ‘Thank you,’ he says. ‘And remember, be on your guard. Those goblins are cowardly creatures, but they’re smart – smarter than they
look.’ He pats his bandaged leg, as if to drive home the point. ‘Never underestimate them.’

The woodsman leans forward, and points to a small break in the nearby trees.

‘You can find the path there; it will take you straight through to the other side of the valley if you want. Keep to the path, and only stray if you have to . . . no telling what you might
find in those woods.’

After thanking the woodsman, you shoulder your backpack and head out into the Tithebury woods. Turn to
149
.

18

Legendary monster: Mauler

A narrow trail takes you up into the rocky hills. Picking your way past boulders and scree, you spy a cave opening ahead. As you near, you hear an ominous, thundering growl
coming from inside the cave. You ready yourself for combat as a huge black bear comes snuffling out of the darkness. With a snarl, it rears up onto its hind legs, its immense, muscled frame
towering above you. Swiping its paws through the air, you catch sight of the beast’s razor-sharp claws. Now you know why the locals call this bear ‘the mauler’. It is time to
defend yourself: